This invention relates generally to injection molding and more particularly to a method of making integral heated nozzles having different lengths and melt channel diameters for different situations.
Of course, methods of making heated injection molding nozzles including integrally brazing in a vacuum furnace are well known in the art. Examples are shown in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,283 which issued Sept. 6, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,154 which issued Sept. 27, 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,535 which issued Sept. 12, 1989. While it has become increasingly advantageous to have smaller standard sized nozzles, for some applications it is desirable to have nozzles of a longer length or with a larger diameter melt channel. This is particularly true for a system where several nozzles are pivotally mounted along a manifold with different angular orientations to supply melt to a common large cavity having a non-linear shape. The nozzle configuration is much better of the nozzles can easily be made of different lengths.
While different sized nozzles can be made by making different sized components individually, this is very time consuming and costly for volume production. Consequently, it is desirable to have a method of making nozzles which combines the advantages of larger scale manufacture of components with the flexibility of individual assembly of the components to provide nozzles of a predetermined selected length and melt channel diameter.